Casting clue!

He’s a father, he’s a son. He’s been a bishop, a cardinal, a prior, a friar, a vicar, a knight, a lord, a mayor, a director. There’s one born every minute, but by any other name he’d smell as sweet.

Hear Me Roar: Oh, so nostalgic. Quick, what’s this about? Have we got our Mace Tyrell? Surely the first part refers to the actor’s roles … and the second bit – well, there is a “rose” involved, according to the Shakespearian hint. Part of the name?

UPDATE: And we did it again. We think. The best guess and fit is Roger Ashton-Griffiths. The reader Jordan was first to identify him, followed closely and independently by our Fury. Confirmation pending.

After an extensive 5-minute Google search I think this is referring to Mark Gatiss – he played a vicar in Funland and a simpleton (a sucker, born every minute) in Nighty Night. That, and the speculation is that he’s been cast as Mace.

I think the trick to identifying the actor would be to focus on “a director”. If that means he’s played a director in a movie on on TV, that’s got to be a relatively small list. If it’s saying he has actually been a director in real life, as well as an actor, it’s a bigger list, but still much smaller than the list of people who have played any of those other parts.

There’s one man who springs to mind that has done a lot of those roles described, is a director too and links in with the mainly English cast……but he is a big star which flies in the face of most Thrones casting. Ray Fiennes anyone!?

This makes me very intrigued as to who Gatiss is going to be playing if not Mace. Surely an actor of his standing would not be cast in a throwaway role and he has apparently already finished his filming. Interesting….

I think he’ll be a tiny cameo role akin to Burn Gorman in season 3. Probably not even a named character. He only filmed for 5 days which would literally only be 1 small scene. A big scene (like a wedding or a battle with lots of extras) would take at least 2 weeks to film.

There is no way whoever he’s talking about isn’t Mace, in my opinion. The last line talks about suckers and roses. Mace is pretty much known to be an oaf. Rose=Tyrell. A father, a son. Father to Loras and Margaery, son to Olenna. Wedding guest. I’m almost 100 percent sure he’s talking about Mace. Now the question is how correct are we in guessing the actor…

Mace has been characterized as an oaf so far when spoken of on the show, so I think this guy looks the part if he’s the right one. Mace won’t be as imposing because Olenna has been given a bigger role and so has Margaery.

I’ve been thinking that Gatiss will be a Frey, possibly Merrett (this year’s Mackenzie Crook/Orell?). Just based on some of the other Freys we have seen, he has the family look. And for a family known to be the result of one guy’s absurd over-procreation, I think it is fair to emphasize casting a bunch of dudes who look alike:

I think Jordan hit the nail on the head with Roger Ashton-Griffiths, but he does not feel like a Mace Tyrell to me honestly. However, I cannot think of any other roles to fit as well.

Wedding guest could be a singer?
– Aemon Costayne is one of the seven singers at the wedding and his sigil has a rose in it, but… no.
– Hamish the Harper sings “A Rose of Gold” for the wedding. I think he was older…. so… no.

Talbert Serry has a rose in his sigil too, but not at a wedding and unlikely to appear this year if at all.

No role seems to fit outside of Mace, right? Am I missing something?
Maybe he is our Mace… It certainly fits the supplied clues!

I was thinking (watch out!), and another possibility is that he’s talking about Manderly though. He is also present at a wedding (fake Arya, correct?), presumably someone’s son (lol), father to his son lost at the Red Wedding. Now, I know that the last line heavily implies that it is a Tyrell, but listen: it could also be lord too fat to sit a horse. The context of the scene in which “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” occurs makes it possible that he’s talking about two groups of people who are supposed to be friends but their names keep them apart (Starks and Manderlys, post Robb’s downfall, in this case). Then, the line about a sucker being born every minute matches too, because it references his demeanour towards the Freys and faking Davos’s death. A hoax. A scam.

not very Mace Tyrell to me either… I was hoping for someone… bigger, like Robie Coltrane or Brendan Gleeson. Pff…but let’s see how this guy inhabits the role and then criticize or praise the casting decision.

edit: looks more manderly to me too… but the casting clue points a Tyrell :(

‘Gangs Of New York’ is one of my all-time favorite movies. I actually can see a little Mace in him from that movie, but that was over 10 years ago. He looks older than 56 in some of the pics I have seen.

Ours is the Fury: Mace has been characterized as an oaf so far when spoken of on the show, so I think this guy looks the part if he’s the right one. Mace won’t be as imposing because Olenna has been given a bigger role and so has Margaery.

Yes, I think he looks like he could play an oafish Mace. But that has nothing to do with the clue “sucker,” which is what I was referring to. The clue about “one being born every minute” is a reference to his role as Barnum.

Ashton-Griffiths would be a great Mace Tyrell. I first saw him in NBC miniseries of The Odyssey (which is on youtube and definitely worth checking out), as Polites. It wasn’t a large role but I thought he really stood out. He’s got a powerful voice, loud laugh, and can certainly pull off the “lovable buffoon” role that I’d imagine Mace Tyrell will be on screen.

Yes but Burn did have a very significant scene. If you have a talented actor he either has to be part of the plot (Orell/Mathos/Coldhands) or atleast have an impactful scene with the potential of having more impactful scenes down the road (Cirian Hinds as Mance, Burn Gurman as rogue nights watchmen, Gatiss as Bloodraven). Otherwise you can just get cheaper talent

I’ll go out on a limb and say Steven Hartley. I think GRRM’s wordplay are direct references to the titles of his Merlin episode and the series he narrates. He has the Game of Thrones look as well, older, handsome but rough around the edges. He’ll be at the Purple Wedding as well. Definitely Mace.

True.
I’m not saying Gattis will not have a good scene or two with more probable down the road… Or that he won’t be Coldhands or Bloodraven (although i’m not sold). I just don’t think there is any weight to HBO/ D&D keeping the role that Gattis was cast in a secret.

Definitely him. The PT Barnum reference seals it. If it isn’t Ashton-Griffiths I will be very surprised!

Regards “looking like Mace”, I suppose he doesn’t necessarily look like an old warrior gone to seed, but two things to say about that:

1. It’s not unheard of for formerly fit and strong men end up looking like a bit of a podgy oaf… Check out some pro-sportspeople who get into the booze and coke after retirement.
2. They can alter the backstory to emphasise that he was only ever really the general and didn’t do much of the sword-thrusting himself (leaving that to men such as the oft-mentioned Randyll Tarly).

Think in terms of the old British colonial army, where the officer class was filled with inbred weak-jawed aristocrats who relied on giving perks to their roughnut thugs a little further down the ladder in order to keep things going. Like the old British boarding school cliché of School Bully being an official staff member.

Maybe that trope isn’t familiar to US audiences, but it’s pretty recognisable to those in the Commonwealth cultural sphere.

After giving it some thought I wonder if he could play Butterbumps.
Wedding guest = Tyrell jester = rose.
“Smell as sweet” = ability to fart on command.
Aston-Griffiths was an opera singer…. and plays the fool quite well…. and has a much more similar look to Butterbumps than Mace Tyrell!

You have a good point but I just don’t see any other alternatives. I don’t think he can play any1 from Dany’s arc. Maybe he could be Bowan Marsh or Donal Noye but Donal Noye can be replaced by Grenn as they will need to build up Noye in order for us to care about his fate. I don’t think they have time for that this season . And Bowen Marsh is not needed until season 5 so they can hold off on him. Coldhands is most definitely needed in season 4. I will also argue that Bran must meet Bloodraven at some point in season 4. The thought of stalling Bran’s story and having him run in circles for a season is not one I think D&D are comfortable with.
Gatiss will not play some no name random Frey, well maybe Merret as his scene with Lady Stoneheart is epic. If Daavos does not accompany Stannis than he can play that character that spared Ned’s life during the rebellion and ultimately spares Daavos’ life after he’s betrayed by Salahdor on his way to White Harbor. Any other character at this point I think would be a reach. My Darkhorse is the Kindly Man if the speed up Arya’s story(which does not look like the case so far)

I can’t find the perfect role for him either. I was leaning towards Aeron, but I think that will be next year more likely…. or has not filmed yet. Kindly Man was my next guess too, he certainly has the look for the role. I am with you though and do not think we will get to meet KM unless it is in the “finale” a brief intro in one scene only. Possible, but….

No role makes complete sense to me. Which is why I’m not sold on Coldhands or Bloodraven (they make as much sense or more sense as any other role). I’m just not sold on any role XD

I can’t find the perfect role for him either. I was leaning towards Aeron, but I think that will be next year more likely…. or has not filmed yet.Kindly Man was my next guess too, he certainly has the look for the role. I am with you though and do not think we will get to meet KM unless it is in the “finale” a brief intro in one scene only. Possible, but….

No role makes complete sense to me.Which is why I’m not sold on Coldhands or Bloodraven (they make as much sense or more sense as any other role). I’m just not sold on any role XD

It’s either Bloodraven (short appearance at the end of the season) or a short appearance as Damphair in Yara’s storyline (if any of the Greyjoy brothers gets introduced in the flesh this season it’s Aeron). The actor gave the tip that it involved “hair” in some way. These characters are the only ones that fit the bill (Damphair because of his name and BR because he should wear a Targaryen wig then) and could be introduced this season.

I’m not sure Brennock O’Connor is a CotF…..
He was sighted in Iceland last week, as was Maisie Williams. So I’m betting he is in her arc somewhere. I’m guessing he is either Edric Dayne or the squire at the Inn with Poliver.

I don’t think they have started filming on Bran’s arc yet have they (and if so in Iceland)? Hmmm….

I don’t think we will see Dayne. It will be kind of weird to cast him now since they’ve already gave his most important and probably only significant plot point to Gendry. I did not know O’Connor was filming an Iceland, maybe he plays that kid that Arya encounters who claims to be milk brothers with Jon Snow. Im curios to find out where they will film the North of the Wall scenes this year

With the information that he filmed all of the scenes for his role in early July – when the Dragonstone gang was filming – Patchface seems like a possibility.

Regardless of who he is playing, why such secrecy about his character? Perhaps his character hasn’t been revealed because he isn’t in the books. Maybe its a D&D creation similar to what was done with Locke/Vargo Hoat.

The other Dragonstone role I wondered about was Alester Florent.
Introducing Alester Florent now and combining him with Axell Florent could be a way to intro the Queen’s Men and then have Melisandre burns him alive to get favorable winds for the voyage north to The Wall. That would mean a short film time since it is only a few scenes at most.

Veltigar,
O.O I never thought to read Damphair as Damp-hair. Mind = Blown.

As for Mark Gatiss, I think that the candidates are Bloodraven, Aeron Greyjoy, and the High Sparrow. I personally think it could be the High Sparrow as he is already done and Brienne/Pod are known to be filming, while I haven’t heard anything about Bran stuff being filmed right now, or Balon stuff being filmed.

I don’t think we will see Dayne. It will be kind of weird to cast him now since they’ve already gave his most important and probably only significant plot point to Gendry. I did not know O’Connor was filming an Iceland, maybe he plays that kid that Arya encounters who claims to be milk brothers with Jon Snow. Im curios to find out where they will film the North of the Wall scenes this year

Edric Dayne is the character in your spoiler, Edric Storm is the character whose role Gendry took.

Darquemode: troducing Alester Florent now and combining him with Axell Florent could be a way to intro the Queen’s Men and then have Melisandre burns him alive to get favorable winds for the voyage north to The Wall. That would mean a short film time since it is only a few scenes at most.

Personally, I hope her entire story is cut as I don’t think it adds much to the story (at least thus far). Sure, she was there to change Tyrion’s mental state but it came across as somewhat crude and artificial to me. Still, there have got to be some Penny lovers out there

Family, Duty, Hodor,
Unless she has some extremely important role in the final two books that can’t possibly be given to another character (which I highly doubt) I believe that she will be cut. I personally didn’t mind her but her role in Tyrion’s story can easily be given to Jorah (eg instead of two dwarves jousting it is a dwarf fighting a bear. Jorah can be covered in fur so explaining why Barristan and Daenerys don’t recognize him in the fighting pit). Overall, removing Penny would streamline the story, reduce the cast size which is set to reach its peak in season 5, and allow for more Tyrion-Jorah interactions.

This is totally off-topic, but I just got finished re-watching the movie La Haine, and I’ve decided that I would really love for Vincent Casssel to play a role in the series. I just don’t know who he would play… Perhaps Cassel for Euron (with Ray Stevenson as Victarion, obviously), since it seems unlikely they’ll be able to get Mads Mikkelsen for the role? Maybe he could play a decidedly different take on Hizdahr zo Loraq?

I think Brennock O’Connor will be the squire Arya and the Hound find with Polliver at the Inn, showing Arya killing an innocent 13 yo boy will shock and help the audience to see she’s going to a dark path (yes the kid was annoying but didn’t deserve to die)

As for Gattis, I think he’ll be the High Septon or Bloodraven, if he’s just Aeron why keep it as a secret?

Gods be good he looks older than 56… I guess the GoT make-up dept will have their work cut out for them shaving years off this guy. I didn’t think Mark Addy would fit as Robert Baratheon, though, so WTF do I know?

The other Dragonstone role I wondered about was Alester Florent.
Introducing Alester Florent now and combining him with Axell Florent could be a way to intro the Queen’s Men and then have Melisandre burns him alive to get favorable winds for the voyage north to The Wall. That would mean a short film time since it is only a few scenes at most.

The thing about Alester Florent, that I don’t know if it has been mentioned in the books… It’s not obvious that Alester is Samwell Tarly’s grandpa, , but he is. His mother is Melessa Florent, Alester’s daughter. I don’t know about anyone else, but I haven’t read anywhere about Sam’s thoughts about his grandfather being burned alive by Stannis’ people and I don’t know if it’s an oversight by GRRM, or something that the character just hasn’t learned yet, but if it doesn’t have significance, I think it should, and if it does, then we haven’t heard about it yet, and perhaps Alester will still be cast as his own self in the show.

I like Penny more than others do, but she wouldn’t be necessary this season. They could just use stunt dwarves with visor helmets and wait until next year. Also, the show simply must have a dwarf joust. They can use horses instead of a pig and dog.